Sit up straight!

Remember how many times your parents would shout, "Stop slouching!"? Turns out they had a point.

Growing up, we would roll our eyes and assume they were nagging, but they were right to scold us.

Our posture is the foundation for every movement we want our body to make and good posture helps our bodies handle any stress the muscles may experience.

Sitting down can often feel nice – a sense of relaxation after a long hike, after a hard day at work or after brisk walk. Sometimes it can still feel nice even if the day consisted of limited movement.

But eventually, sitting down will no longer feel good – after a day slouching at our desks, our muscles can start to feel painful. Research shows that good posture can promote confidence, improve memory and increase energy levels.

A recent study looked at babies’ learning ability and found it was affected by bad posture – if the baby had a straight spine, they would find it easier to learn.

Slouching at our desks every day can be very taxing on our bodies. Bad posture makes our muscles work harder to keep us upright and comfortable, forcing our muscles into tight positions.

That pain running down our spine and that ache in our neck? It is most likely a result of our permanent position at our desks. Slouching can increase weakening of the ligaments, put our lungs under pressure and is a key contributor to tension headaches.

It is important to maintain physical activity throughout the day, going to the gym after work will benefit this, but it is important to give your body a break in between sitting, not just every other day or in the evening. We understand, it is easy to forget about our posture, we spend a lot of time focusing on our computers, phones and tablets – our shoulders hunched and our necks bent – but in time it will affect how we feel and how much work we can do.

Not only that, but we need to be conscious of the health risks of sitting at our desks all day. Bad posture and slouching can result in an increased risk of becoming obese and developing conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and cognitive impairment.

Be aware of your posture; when you are spending most of your day in front of a computer, move around frequently – sitting up straight and stretching your legs every couple of hours can make a big difference.